280%
increase in
search impressions
132%
increase
in traffic
THE CHALLENGE
BJC HealthCare, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, operated a highly fragmented web ecosystem with multiple hospital, specialty, and clinic websites developed independently.
This decentralized structure created major challenges:
- Diluted domain authority, which was spread across more than 20 subdomains.
- Inconsistent branding and messaging across various websites.
- Duplicate and competing content in search results.
- Limited visibility for non-branded search terms like “heart doctor near me” or “urgent care St. Louis.”
- Disconnected and fragmented analytics and lead tracking systems.
The goal was to consolidate all hospital websites into one unified, high-performing experience under the BJC.org domain, preserving SEO equity, simplifying user navigation, and amplifying overall organic growth.
OUR SOLUTION
Domain consolidation of all BJC hospitals and microsites
Full 301 redirect mapping and implementation
Technical SEO cleanup and crawl budget optimization
Unified keyword mapping and metadata alignment
Content de-duplication and on-page SEO improvement
- Reviewed page designs from SEO and user experience perspective
Cross-platform analytics & conversion tracking setup
SERVICES
SEO & content strategy
Technical site migration
Analytics & tag management
Redirection and merger audit
Content architecture & information design
- Design review and recomendation
STRATEGY
Our strategy was built around authority consolidation, ensuring all traffic, backlinks, and keyword rankings redirected to one core domain.
We developed a phased plan:
- Audit & Discovery – Cataloged URLs and link structures across 20+ subdomains.
- Migration Planning – Designed a unified information architecture to house all services.
- Redirects & Implementation – Mapped 5,000+ legacy URLs to reduce confusion for users post-launch.
- Post-Launch Monitoring – Continuously tracked traffic, impressions, and keyword rankings to ensure equity retention.
The results were immediate: Google recognized the unified site’s authority, and organic performance spiked across nearly every metric.
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
ORGANIC TRAFFIC
The graph shows a significant spike in organic traffic immediately following the site merger in early 2024, followed by a short adjustment period and steady recovery.
ORGANIC TRAFFIC – IMPRESSIONS
Impressions rose sharply to over 2 million per month, proving the consolidated domain’s expanded reach and visibility.
ORGANIC TRAFFIC – NON-BRANDED
A key success indicator, non-branded traffic (patients searching for general care, not “BJC”) grew substantially, reflecting enhanced authority for generic healthcare terms.
ORGANIC KEYWORDS INTENT
Informational and commercial intent keywords surged, indicating a higher rate of discovery for patient research and appointment-driven searches. Users with high intent keywords are more likely to engage and convert.
ORGANIC TRAFFIC – 1ST PAGE KEYWORDS
The count of first-page keyword rankings climbed steadily post-migration, reinforcing the long-term benefit of consolidation and optimized architecture.
BACKLINK PRESERVATION
Through careful 301 mapping and canonical setup, BJC retained over 95% of backlink equity from legacy sites. High-authority backlinks were redirected to relevant unified pages, increasing the overall domain rating by 28% within months.
SUMMARY
By consolidating 20+ BJC hospital and service websites into one unified, search-optimized website, we unlocked exponential organic growth, improved patient experience, and future-proofed the organization’s digital infrastructure.
280%
increase in
search impressions
132%
increase
in traffic